Air operated game calls are used in a variety of pursuits for simulating the sounds of game animals. Of these, reed-based game calls are a popular choice of hunters for simulating the sounds of a variety of game animals, including waterfowl such as ducks and geese.
In a common configuration of a reed-based game call, the game call includes an elongate tubular housing that houses a reed system. The reed system includes a tone board and a reed, and is generally configured to support the game call's production of sounds that simulate those of game animals. The tone board defines a sound channel and a tone board surface that borders the sound channel and faces a portion of the interior surface of the tubular housing. The sound channel provides fluid communication through the tone board from a mouthpiece end of the tubular housing to an opposing exhaust end.
The reed is held to rest on the tone board surface, and to operate the game call, a caller blows air into the tubular housing at the mouthpiece end. The resulting passage of air through the sound channel vibrates the reed against the tone board surface to generate sounds that drive the game call's production of sounds that simulate those of game animals.